167. The ire of Lakshmana.

                 At the time Hanuman made Sugreeva to realize his lapse and take appropriate remedial action, Rama who spent rainy nights on that mountain with much distress owing to the misery of yearning for Seetha, was staring at the immaculate sphere of moon on the clear sky without any cloud. The rains were ceased and the autumnal nights were enamelled  with moonshine. He did not hear anything from Sugreeva regarding the search for Seetha. This made him to ponder the abysmal thought that Seetha was lost hopelessly, and Sugreeva, engrossed in lust was lost to the world intractably, and furthermore, time too, was being lost irretrievably. These despondent, despairing, bleak, resigned, sad, depressed, cynical and pessimistic thoughts raised his blood-pressure too high, and consequently he swooned. When he became conscious after some moments, the thought about his dear wife continued to haunt him.

            On seeing the spic and span sky without any clouds (black or otherwise) and hearing the vibrant shrieks of Saarasa birds, Rama bemoaned in woeful words. Rama was kindled with the memory of his dear wife when he beheld the sky of autumn while sitting on the summit of a mountain that was embellished with gold and other ores, and he,  without realizing it started to soliloquize his thoughts. 

           "Young Seetha with a voice that was very much alike the callings of Saarasa birds used to take delight in these resonant calls of Saarasa birds when we were together in  the hermitage.

             "She used to ask me to get the flowers whenever she was seeing the flawless Asana trees bloomed with its lovely flowers looking like golden flowers. 
             "She who is enchanting to me by her peerless body and sweet voice used to wake me up in tune with the melodious callings of clucking-swans.

         "We used to move together to hear the sharp notes of chakravaka birds that always move together in couples. I am not able to enjoy myself without that deer-eyed darling the wandering around enjoyable lakes, rivers, tanks, forests and woodlands, whose thirst is quenched by rainwater, but my thirsting for her is not. The Love-god, Manmatha, with a plethora of provocative autumnal features will be prolongedly agonising her, because she is separated from me. Or will he exclude her because she is a frailty?" 

                     Rama suddenly felt that someone was looking at him. Rama came out of his trance and looked. It was his dear brother Lakshmana. Now that the monsoon was over, Lakshmana wanted some real good fruits for his dear brother Rama and of course, for self, too. As real good fruits were not seen in the proximity, he meandered the pleasant mountainous terrain.

              Lakshmana on his returning from his pursuit saw the   lone Rama in a lonely place mooning. It was obvious that he was beset with unbearable sadness and his posture was vacuous. Seeing his dear brother in such a state, Lakshamana felt very miserable for the sad condition of his brother. He, therefore tried to cheer him up by saying "Oh, my dear bro, there is absolutely no point in fretting like this. 

Plunge yourself  in your mission  with an undeterred spirit and with a good disposition of mind, and bring time under control with steadfastness and ideation, and the capabilities of your helpmates, namely Sugreeva and others be gathered, and the basis for your achievements, say daily rituals towards gods, be performed by you as your means.  

           "You know very well that Janaki is not attainable for anyone other than yourself. You know the power of her chastity. If anyone nears her in ill-will will be burnt to ashes like a grass-hopper." 

                Rama replied "I agree with what you say. On satisfying the mother earth with rainwater and on effectuating the crops on earth, the Thousand-eyed Indra is complacent as his task is effectuated, whereas my task is yet to take off. I wonder where my dear Seetha is. It seems that Sugreeva, along with the lapse of time lapsed his promised help. 

               "This is the starting time for invasions for kings, but I do not even perceive Sugreeva, or his striving for any invasion as such.

               "Four long months of the monsoon have rolled by and to me they are like hundred years.  king Sugreeva is not benevolent to me.
              "May be he is thinking that I am not worthy one to help as I lost the kingdom and later my wife, too. Lakshmana, I am perhaps scoffed off by the spiteful king of Vanaras Sugreeva. He computed the time for search of Seetha well, and entered into a treaty with me as well. On achieving his means that base-minded one is unmindful of our quid pro quo. 
            "Oh! Lakshmana, I suggest you go to Kishkindha and ascertain what that stupid vanara, Sugreeva, plans to do regarding finding out where Seetha is kept by that rakshash. In case he has not done anything so for and also does not incline to take any action in this regard, then give him a piece of your mind to him."

               Lakshmana nodded and told Rama "As a forester, Sugreeva may not abide by the conduct of gentlefolk. It seems that he is not appreciative of the fruits of the incidental events like gaining kingdom and regaining wife, occurring out of your deed of eliminating Vali. If it is really so, then, I will ensure that he does not enjoy the prosperity of the kingdom anymore. 

          "Remaining adherent in the thick and thin of friends is friendship. That is the least kindness expected of a friend. Because Sugreeva is a fickly vanara, he may not abide by the oath of friendship taken before fire altar, whereby you eliminated Vali, and enthroned Sugreeva. And he may not keep that pact.

           "Hence, kingdoms are not fit for the dishonest. If I find him, that vanara Sugreeva disinclined to honour the pact, then I will kill that unfaithful Sugreeva and the best braving vanaras shall search for that princess Seetha, remaining under the command of Vali's son, Angada." 

            Seeing the mood and fury of Lakshmana, Rama told him "Oh! my dear brother, not so fast. In case you find that Sugreeva has turned into a reneger, try to placate him with good reasons rather than with caustic remarks or drastic actions, as his sin seems to be no more than flouting the time frame." 

    Lakshmana nodded and left immediately for Kishkindha. However, he decided to do only that which would be agreeable and beneficial to his elder brother. Nevertheless, he was fuming and fretting for the procrastination by Sugreeva.

          With this mind-set Lakshmana proceeded to Sugreeva's palace like a furious forest fire, aided and abetted by embittered whirlwind. Knocking down Saala, Palm, Ashvakarna trees with his mighty hands, razing mountain-crests and other trees with his strength, splintering boulders underfoot, Lakshmana hurried through an enmeshed path leaving off one-foot-pathway like an elephant striding fleetly, and impelled by the mission, rushed forward hurriedly. When he saw the formidable vaanaras at the outposts of Kidhkindha, his started quivering owing to the rancour towards Sugreeva. Seeing the angry Lakshmana coming towards them with determination, all the elephantine vanaras on guard in the gorges of mountain grabbed  large stones and hundreds of  gigantic trees, and kept ready. On seeing them and their audacity to keep themselves ready to challenge him, Lakshmana's fury mounted manyfold as with a fire to which much fuel is added. On seeing the angry face of the furious Lakshmana, all the vaanaras were terribly terrified and quickly fled away in all directions with scare coiling their bodies. Some of the more sensible ones went to the palace of Sugreeva to appraise him about the arrival of Lakshmana with a lot of fury. At that time, Sugreeva was in a highly amorous mood in the company of Lady Tara. Completely enmeshed in lust Sugreeva did not take any notice of the information conveyed by those sensible vaanaras who brought the message.

            However, the ministers of Sugreeva quickly decided a course of action. As decided and directed by those ministers some selected elephantine vanaras who were looking very frightful marched out to figure out the mood of Lakshmana. Those elephantine monkeys were frightening just by their appearance, which were similar to mountains and dark-clouds. All of those brave vanaras were armed with their own teeth and nails, were wearing tigerish pride and looked hideous and horrendous by their faces. Some of those vanaras had the strength and the might of ten elephants, some ten times more, and some with vigour matching that of a thousand elephants.
        The furious Lakshmana noticed those great and mighty vanaras flaunting trees are spreading throughout the pathway to Kishkindha. Seeing him, all those vanaras exiting from the inside of the compound-wall of the castle and coming underneath of the iron-latches of the castle's gateway. Thus they became quite visible and stood up to Lakshmana with their ebullient might.

            Lakshmana was amused to look at them.  At the same time Lakshmana's anger shot up. With his long, fiery, and endless exhales and eyes bloodshot in fury, he looked like a fuming fire. He had become identical to a five-faced serpent as his curvy bow looked like the curvy hood of a serpent, the arrowheads in his quivers looked like the poking tongues of the serpent, and his own fervency was proliferating as that of a serpent's venom.

           Angada came to know of the coming of Lakshmana and he rushed to see him. On seeing him, Lakshmana told him "Oh, Angada, please go and tell Sugreeva, 'oh, uncle Sugreeva, distressed by the distress of his brother, this Lakshmana has arrived and waiting at the door. Go out and invite him inside. Else the consequences will be disastrous.' After conveying this message, you comeback quickly." 

           Bewildered Angada went to the palace wearing a very sad face. There he firstly saluted the feet of his uncle Sugreeva and then at the feet of Ruma, wife of Sugreeva. And then clung to the feet of his mother Tara. He then informed his mother and aunt the arrival of Lakshmana and the message he has asked him to convey to Sugreeva. Sugreeva was completely drowned in drowsiness and dizziness and as such could not comprehend clearly what Angada was talking about.
        In the meanwhile the hearts of the mobbing vanaras started flustering with fear. And those vanaras, on observing Lakshmana in his highly furious mood, starting discussing per se as to how to appease him. This caused a hubbub that was similar to a storm of a torrent, thunder of a thunderbolt, and the roar of a lion. With that uproarious noise of the vanaras, Sugreeva came to his senses, but because of the stupor his coppery eyes were helter-skelter and his garlands and ornaments were topsy-turvy.

            On hearing the words of Angada two ministers namely Plaksha and Prabhava,  appraised Sugreeva about the arrival of Lakshmana.

          Those two ministers sitting around and nearby Sugreeva, who was seated like the king of wind-gods, namely Indra, and told him "Rama and Lakshmana are the brothers who abide by truth, highly-providential, and though they are worthy enough to rule the kingdom themselves they have bestowed the kingdom to you. As such they have become your true friends.

         "One among those two, Lakshmana, is biding at the door wielding his bow, and by whom all the vanarass are panicked and venting out alarms and shuddering utterly. This Lakshmana, the brother of Raghava, has arrived here at the decree of Rama on the chariot called his 'endeavour', charioted by the charioteer called 'the word of Rama.'

          "Oh, Sir, even Lakshmana has ushered this Angada hastily to your presence. Lakshmana is now sticking fast at the door with an awning of rancour on his eyes and as if to burn down the vanaras just with his eyes. You may approach him quickly along with your son and relatives, oh, great-king, prostrate yourself before him holding him in reverence, and thus let his bitterness be indeed pacified now.

              "Whatever that virtue-souled Rama says, you have to implement that wholeheartedly. You abide by the forthrightness of your promise, stick up for the pact you made." 

======================================================